Management system, management method, and program

Abstract

To provide a management system and the like capable of calculating the monetary benefit of self-consumption of power generated by a solar power generation facility.SOLUTION: A management system 100 is a management system for managing a consumer with solar power generation facilities 10 installed. The management system includes: a unit price acquisition unit (for example, communication unit 41) that acquires the power purchase price and electricity selling price; and a calculation unit (for example, amount of benefit calculation unit 42) that calculates the amount of self-consumption electricity consumed by the consumer out of the total power generated by the solar power generation facility 10, and the amount of benefit from self-consumption of at least a portion of the generated power based on the power purchase price and the electricity selling price.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a management system, a management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an energy management system that displays the amount of electricity consumed in a dwelling unit as an electricity bill. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-191524 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, the number of dwelling units equipped with solar power generation facilities has been increasing. For such dwelling units, it is sometimes desirable to calculate the monetary benefits of self-consumption of electricity generated by the solar power generation facilities. However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose how to calculate such monetary benefits.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a management system, a management method, and a program that can calculate the monetary benefit resulting from the self-consumption of power generated by a solar power generation facility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A management system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a management system for managing consumers who have installed solar power generation equipment, and includes a unit price acquisition unit that acquires the purchase price and sale price of electricity, and a calculation unit that calculates the monetary effect of self-consumption of at least a portion of the generated electricity based on the amount of electricity consumed by the consumer from the amount of electricity generated by the solar power generation equipment, the purchase price, and the sale price of electricity.

[0007] A management method according to one aspect of the present invention is a management method for managing a consumer that has installed solar power generation equipment, which obtains a purchase price and a sale price of electricity, and calculates the monetary benefit resulting from the consumer consuming at least a portion of the generated electricity based on the amount of electricity generated by the solar power generation equipment that is consumed by the consumer, the purchase price, and the sale price.

[0008] A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described management method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a management system or the like that can calculate the monetary benefit resulting from the self-consumption of power generated by a solar power generation facility. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of collecting various types of information in the management system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of calculating and presenting an effect amount in the management system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first example of a presentation of an effect amount according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second example of the presentation of the effect amount according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a management system according to a modification of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, components, component placement and connection configurations, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not described in the independent claims are described as optional components.

[0013] Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Therefore, for example, the scales of the figures do not necessarily match. Furthermore, in each figure, substantially the same components are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted or simplified.

[0014] Furthermore, in this specification, numerical values ​​and numerical ranges are not expressions that express only the strict meaning, but are expressions that mean that they include a substantially equivalent range, for example, a difference of about several percent (or about 10%).

[0015] (Embodiment) The management system according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0016] [1. Management system configuration] First, the configuration of a management system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a management system 100 according to this embodiment.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1, the management system 100 includes a photovoltaic power generation facility 10, a power conditioner 20, a distribution board 30, a control device 40, a load 50, a router 60, a mobile terminal 70, and a power company server 80. Fig. 1 also illustrates a grid power supply 120 and the Internet 130. Each component of the management system 100, except for the mobile terminal 70 and the power company server 80, is provided in a facility 110. The facility 110 is an example of a consumer. The management system 100 can also be said to be a system that manages consumers in which the photovoltaic power generation facility 10 is installed.

[0018] The solar power generation facility 10 is installed on the roof of a facility 110 or the like, and generates electricity by converting sunlight into electricity. Specifically, the solar power generation facility 10 is realized by a solar cell module including a PV (PhotoVoltaic) panel.

[0019] The power conditioner 20 is a power conversion device for using the power generated by the photovoltaic power generation facility 10 within the facility 110. Specifically, the power conditioner 20 is realized by an inverter circuit or the like.

[0020] The distribution board 30 is a device that distributes power supplied from the system power supply 120. Specifically, the distribution board 30 distributes power to a plurality of branch circuits branching off from a trunk line 31. Loads 50 installed within the facility 110 are connected to the branch circuits.

[0021] The distribution board 30 includes a generated power acquisition unit 30a and a sold power acquisition unit 30b. The generated power acquisition unit 30a may be provided in the power conditioner 20, for example.

[0022] The generated power acquiring unit 30a acquires the amount of power generated by the solar power generation facility 10. The generated power acquiring unit 30a may include, for example, a power measuring element, and acquire the amount of generated power by having the power measuring element measure the amount of generated power (for example, the amount of power supplied from the power conditioner 20 to the distribution board 30). Note that the generated power acquiring unit 30a may also acquire the amount of generated power measured by a power meter that measures the amount of power generated by the solar power generation facility 10.

[0023] The power sale acquisition unit 30b acquires the amount of power sale that has been supplied (sold) to the grid power supply 120. The power sale acquisition unit 30b may include, for example, a power measurement element, and acquire the amount of power sale by having the power measurement element measure the amount of power sale. Note that the power sale acquisition unit 30b may acquire the amount of power sale measured by a power meter that measures the amount of power sale that has been sold to the grid power supply 120 out of the amount of power generated by the solar power generation facility 10.

[0024] The power measurement elements included in the generated power acquisition unit 30a and the sold power acquisition unit 30b are specifically CT (Current Transformers), but may also be Rogowski circuits or GMR (Giant Magnetic Resistance) elements. By providing the power measurement elements, the distribution board 30 can measure the amount of generated power and the amount of sold power. The amount of generated power and the amount of sold power may be, for example, 30-minute integrated values ​​or 1-hour integrated values.

[0025] The distribution board 30 also has a wireless communication module for wireless communication, and is capable of wireless communication with the control device 40 via the router 60. In other words, the wireless communication module is a wireless communication circuit. This allows the distribution board 30 to transmit the amount of generated power acquired by the generated power acquisition unit 30a and the amount of sold power acquired by the sold power acquisition unit 30b to the control device 40. The amount of generated power and the amount of sold power are stored in a memory unit 43 provided in the control device 40 as history information on the amount of generated power and the amount of sold power.

[0026] It is not essential that the distribution board 30 has a power measurement function and a communication function. For example, the management system 100 may include a smart meter (that is, a power meter with a communication function) in addition to the distribution board 30.

[0027] The control device 40 is a device that calculates (manages) the economic effect (profit) resulting from the installation of the solar power generation equipment 10 in the facility 110, and in this embodiment, functions as an effect amount calculation device that calculates an effect amount. Specifically, the control device 40 includes a communication unit 41, an effect amount calculation unit 42, and a storage unit 43. Although not shown, the control device 40 may also include a user interface that accepts operations by a user (a resident if the facility 110 is a residence), and a display unit (an example of a presentation unit) for displaying the calculated effect amount. The effect amount is the amount of money saved in terms of electricity bill payments by the consumer.

[0028] The communication unit 41 is a wireless communication module that enables the control device 40 to communicate with the power conditioner 20 and the distribution board 30. In other words, the wireless communication module is a wireless communication circuit. The communication unit 41 acquires, from the distribution board 30, for example, the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic power generation facility 10 acquired by the generated power acquisition unit 30a of the distribution board 30 and the amount of power sold to the grid power supply 120 acquired by the power sale acquisition unit 30b. The amount of power generated and the amount of power sold may be acquired in real time or may be acquired collectively at regular intervals. Furthermore, the acquired amount of power generated and the amount of power sold may be accompanied by information indicating the time of measurement. The communication standard for wireless communication performed by the communication unit 41 is, for example, ECHONET Lite (registered trademark), but is not particularly limited and may be any other communication standard.

[0029] Furthermore, the communication unit 41 acquires, via the router 60, from the mobile terminal 70, the electricity selling price when selling electricity to the grid power supply 120, and acquires, from the power company server 80, the electricity purchasing price when purchasing electricity from the grid power supply 120. The communication unit 41 is an example of a unit price acquisition unit.

[0030] Furthermore, the communication unit 41 may transmit the effect amount calculated by the effect amount calculation unit 42 to an external device such as the mobile terminal 70 via the router 60.

[0031] The control device 40 may acquire at least one of the electricity purchase price and the electricity sale price via a user interface included in the control device 40. In this case, the user interface is an example of a price acquisition unit.

[0032] The monetary effect calculation unit 42 calculates the monetary effect resulting from the self-consumption of the power generated by the solar power generation facility 10, based on various information acquired by the communication unit 41. Specifically, the monetary effect calculation unit 42 calculates the monetary effect resulting from the self-consumption of at least a portion of the generated power, based on the amount of self-consumption consumed by the facility 110 out of the amount of power generated by the solar power generation facility 10, the power purchase price, and the power sale price. The monetary effect calculation unit 42 is characterized in that it also calculates the monetary effect using the power sale price, in order to take into account the amount that would have been incurred if the amount of self-consumption power had been sold. The monetary effect calculation unit 42 is an example of a calculation unit.

[0033] The storage unit 43 stores various types of information acquired by the communication unit 41. The storage of the various types of information acquired by the communication unit 41 is performed by a control unit (not shown) included in the control device 40, for example.

[0034] The storage unit 43 stores, for example, the power purchase price and the power selling price acquired by the communication unit 41 in association with information indicating a period during which the power purchase price and the power selling price are applied, as history information on the power purchase price and the power selling price. The information indicating the period associated with the power purchase price may be provided by, for example, the power company server 80 or the mobile terminal 70 (for example, a user). Furthermore, the information indicating the period associated with the power selling price may be provided by, for example, the mobile terminal 70 (for example, a user).

[0035] Furthermore, the storage unit 43 stores, for example, the amount of generated power and the amount of sold power acquired by the communication unit 41 in association with the date and time (timestamp) when the amount of generated power and the amount of sold power were measured, as history information of the amount of generated power and the amount of sold power. The date and time associated with the amount of generated power and the amount of sold power may be assigned by the distribution board 30 (specifically, the generated power acquisition unit 30a and the sold power acquisition unit 30b) or may be assigned by the control unit of the control device 40.

[0036] The load 50 is a device that consumes power in the facility 110, and is, for example, an electrical device used by a user of the facility 110. The load 50 may include home appliances such as lighting equipment and air conditioning equipment, or may include a secondary battery of an electric vehicle or the like.

[0037] The router 60 is a communication relay device that enables the distribution board 30 and the control device 40 to communicate wirelessly with each other. The distribution board 30 and the control device 40 can also be connected to the Internet 130 via the router 60. The Internet 130 is an example of a communication network. The control device 40 is connected to the mobile terminal 70 and the electric power company server 80 via the router 60 so as to be able to communicate wirelessly with each other.

[0038] The mobile terminal 70 is, for example, a terminal device owned by a user of the facility 110, such as, but not limited to, a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The mobile terminal 70 transmits the electricity selling price input by the user to the control device 40. The electricity selling price is determined by the content of the contract that the user has concluded with the electric power company, and is a fixed amount that does not change depending on the amount of electricity or time of day.

[0039] The communication unit 41 of the control device 40 receives the electricity selling price from the mobile terminal 70 via the Internet 130 and the router 60, for example.

[0040] The electric power company server 80 is an information processing device that notifies the control device 40 of the electric power purchase price. The electric power company server 80 notifies the control device 40 of the electric power purchase price every time the electric power purchase price changes, or periodically. The electric power company server 80 is, for example, a server of an electric power company that owns the system power source 120. Periodically may be, for example, once a month, once every six months, or at some other interval.

[0041] The communication unit 41 of the control device 40 receives the electricity purchase price, for example, via the Internet 130 and the router 60. Note that the electricity purchase price may change, for example, when the contract between the facility 110 and the electric power company changes (for example, when the electricity menu (rate menu) changes).

[0042] When the power menu is changed, the power company server 80 may notify the control device 40 that the power menu has been changed. In this case, the control device 40 may acquire the power purchase price by inquiring about the power purchase price from the power company server 80.

[0043] [2. Operation of the management system] Next, the operation of the management system 100 configured as above will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4. Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation (management method) of collecting various information in the management system 100 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 shows the operation of collecting various information for calculating the monetary effect of self-consumption of power generated by the solar power generation facility 10. Each operation of the control device 40 shown in Fig. 2 may be executed by, for example, a control unit of the control device 40.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 2, the mobile terminal 70 receives various inputs from the user for calculating the monetary value of the benefits resulting from the self-consumption of power generated by the solar power generation facility 10 (S11). The mobile terminal 70 receives, for example, inputs regarding the contracted power company and plan (power menu), and inputs of the power selling price. The mobile terminal 70 has a user interface that receives user operations, and receives various inputs via the user interface. The power company and plan are information used to identify the power purchasing price.

[0045] Next, the mobile terminal 70 transmits the received information about the power company, plan, and electricity selling price to the control device 40 (S12).

[0046] Next, the control device 40 stores the electric power company, the plan, and the electricity selling price received from the mobile terminal 70 in the storage unit 43 (S13). Note that the control device 40 may obtain at least one of the electric power company, the plan, and the electricity selling price directly from the user via a user interface of the control device 40, and store the obtained information in the storage unit 43.

[0047] Next, the control device 40 inquires about the power purchase price from the power company server 80 (S14), and the power company server 80 notifies the control device 40 of the power purchase price (S15). The control device 40 may inquire about the current power purchase price, or may inquire about the power purchase price for a predetermined period in the past including the current time (for example, a period for which the benefit amount is calculated). In this way, in this embodiment, the control device 40 (for example, the communication unit 41) automatically acquires the power purchase price from an external server such as the power company server 80. Note that automatically acquiring the power purchase price means acquiring the power purchase price without user operation.

[0048] Next, the control device 40 stores the electricity purchase price received from the electric power company server 80 in the storage unit 43 (S16). The control device 40 associates the electricity purchase price with information indicating the period for which the electricity purchase price applies, and stores the information in the storage unit 43. It can also be said that the control device 40 updates the history information of the electricity purchase price stored in the storage unit 43.

[0049] Next, the control device 40 inquires of the distribution board 30 about the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic power generation facility 10 (S17), and the distribution board 30 (for example, the generated power acquisition unit 30a) notifies the control device 40 of the amount of power generated (S18).

[0050] Next, the control device 40 inquires of the distribution board 30 about the amount of power sold by the photovoltaic power generation facility 10 (S19), and the distribution board 30 (for example, the power sold acquisition unit 30b) notifies the control device 40 of the amount of power sold (S20).

[0051] The amount of generated power and the amount of sold power may be periodically transmitted from the distribution board 30 to the control device 40.

[0052] Next, the control device 40 stores the amount of power sold and the amount of power generated together with time information in the storage unit 43 (S21). The time information includes information indicating the period during which the amount of power sold and the amount of power generated were measured. The time information includes information indicating the month, day, and time period during which the measurements were taken. As a result, history information on the amount of power sold and the amount of power generated is stored in the storage unit 43.

[0053] Next, the operation of calculating and presenting the effective amount using the various collected information will be described with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram showing the operation (management method) of calculating and presenting the effective amount in the management system 100 according to this embodiment. The operation shown in Fig. 3 is executed, for example, periodically. For example, the report creation date and time may be the date and time for each predetermined period (for example, every month).

[0054] 3, the effect amount calculation unit 42 of the control device 40 confirms that the present is the set report creation date and time (S31). The report creation date and time is set in advance by a user or the like and stored in the storage unit 43. The effect amount calculation unit 42 determines whether the present (for example, today or the current time) is the report creation date and time, and if it determines that the present is the report creation date and time, executes step S32, and if it determines that the present is not the report creation date and time, it waits until the present becomes the report creation date and time.

[0055] Next, if it is confirmed that the current report creation date and time is the set date and time, the effect monetary calculation unit 42 calculates the effect monetary amount based on the amount of power generated, the amount of power sold, the power purchase price, and the power sale price (S32). The effect monetary calculation unit 42 calculates the amount of self-power consumption of the facility 110 for a certain unit time based on the amount of power generated and the amount of power sold for that unit time, and calculates the effect monetary amount for that unit time based on the calculated amount of self-power consumption and the power purchase price and power sale price for that unit time. The amount of self-power consumption for that unit time is calculated, for example, by subtracting the amount of power sold for that unit time from the amount of power generated for that unit time. Furthermore, if the unit price obtained by subtracting the power sale price from the power purchase price is defined as the difference unit price, the effect monetary amount calculation unit 42 calculates the effect monetary amount for that unit time by multiplying the amount of self-power consumption of the facility 110 for that unit time by the difference unit price for that unit time. The unit time may be, for example, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day, or any other time period.

[0056] Then, the effect amount calculation unit 42 calculates the effect amount for the calculation period by adding up the effect amount for each unit time for the period to be calculated (calculation period). For example, if the calculation period is one month and the unit time is 30 minutes, the effect amount calculation unit 42 calculates the effect amount for one month by adding up the effect amount for each 30 minutes for one month.

[0057] For example, the effect monetary amount calculation unit 42 may calculate the effect monetary amount for the calculation period using the following formula 1.

[0058] Benefit amount = ∫((amount of generated electricity - amount of sold electricity) x (unit price of purchased electricity - unit price of sold electricity))dt Formula 1

[0059] Next, the effect amount calculation unit 42 transmits the calculation period and the effect amount for the calculation period to the mobile terminal 70, which is an example of an external device (S33). The effect amount calculation unit 42 may transmit a report created based on the calculation period and the effect amount to the mobile terminal 70. Note that the number of external devices is not limited to one, and there may be multiple external devices. Furthermore, the external device is not limited to a portable information terminal, and may be a stationary or fixed information terminal external to the management system 100.

[0060] Next, when the mobile terminal 70 receives the calculation period and the effective amount from the control device 40, it displays a push notification that the report has been created (S34), and when it accepts a report display operation from the user to display the report (S35), it displays the report including the effective amount (S36).

[0061] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first example of a presentation of the benefit amount according to this embodiment.

[0062] As shown in Fig. 4, the mobile terminal 70 may display a report of a monetary benefit 71 and information about solar power. In Fig. 4, as shown in the dashed frame, 1,000 yen is displayed as the amount of money saved by utilizing solar power. This 1,000 yen is the monetary benefit 71 for the calculation period. In addition, the solar power utilization rate, the equipment powered by solar power (the equipment that consumed the generated power), etc. may be displayed as information about solar power.

[0063] Displaying is an example of presenting. Presenting may be, for example, sound output. Furthermore, the mobile terminal 70 is an example of a presenting unit.

[0064] In this way, by presenting the monetary effect 71 that takes into account the amount of money that would be paid if the amount of self-powered electricity were sold, the user can be encouraged to self-consume the generated electricity rather than sell it. This reduces the amount of electricity sold, making it possible to build an electricity supply and consumption system with less transmission loss for the region. It also makes it possible to suppress power instability (e.g., frequency deviation, high voltage, etc.) in the grid power source 120 that occurs when electricity is sold to the grid power source 120. It is also considered that such a monetary effect 71 is a more accurate monetary effect than the monetary effect calculated by a conventional calculation method that does not take into account the amount of electricity sold.

[0065] The report displayed by the mobile terminal 70 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 4. Another example of the report displayed by the mobile terminal 70 will be described with further reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second example of a presentation example of an effective amount according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a report that is displayed when the effective amount 71 reaches the target amount. It is assumed that the target amount of the effective amount 71 is set in advance. The target amount is an example of a predetermined amount, and may be input by the user or may be automatically set based on past effective amounts 71, etc. It is to be noted that the predetermined amount is not limited to the target amount, and may be another amount.

[0066] For example, the mobile terminal 70 may determine whether the effective amount 71 is equal to or greater than the target amount, and if the effective amount 71 is equal to or greater than the target amount, display the report shown in Fig. 5, and if the effective amount 71 is less than the target amount, display the report shown in Fig. 4. In this way, the mobile terminal 70 may present the effective amount 71 in different ways when the effective amount 71 is equal to or greater than the target amount and when the effective amount 71 is less than the target amount. Different ways include different display contents, different display modes (for example, character color, background, whether or not to blink, whether or not to sound, etc.), and the like.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 5, when the effect amount 71 is equal to or greater than the target amount, the mobile terminal 70 may display information indicating that the target amount has been achieved (in the example of FIG. 5, "☆Congratulations! Goal achieved!!☆"). The mobile terminal 70 may also display information indicating that the target amount has been achieved in addition to the report shown in FIG. 4. The information indicating that the target amount has been achieved may be information that highlights that the target amount has been achieved. Furthermore, the mobile terminal 70 may display the target amount as part of the report.

[0068] In this way, the mobile terminal 70 may display information to encourage the user to consume at home, including it in the report.

[0069] The mobile terminal 70 may change the display mode when the effect amount 71 is equal to or greater than the target amount and when the effect amount 71 is less than the target amount. The mobile terminal 70 may change at least one of the color of the characters, the background, whether or not to blink, and whether or not to play a sound when the effect amount 71 is equal to or greater than the target amount and when the effect amount 71 is less than the target amount.

[0070] In addition, if the effective amount 71 is less than a predetermined amount, the mobile terminal 70 may display at least one of information indicating the difference between the effective amount 71 and the predetermined amount, information indicating the degree to which the effective amount 71 has been achieved, and information encouraging the achievement of the target amount.

[0071] The mobile terminal 70 may display the report using three or more display modes. For example, the mobile terminal 70 may use different display modes depending on whether the effective amount 71 is equal to or greater than the target amount, whether the effective amount 71 is equal to or greater than a lower amount than the target amount and less than the target amount, or whether the effective amount 71 is less than a lower amount than the target amount.

[0072] The determination of whether the effect amount 71 is equal to or greater than the target amount, the generation of the report shown in FIG. 5, and the like may be performed by the control device 40, for example.

[0073] (Modification of the embodiment) The management system according to this modification will be described below with reference to Fig. 6. The following description will focus on differences from the embodiment, and descriptions of the same or similar content as the embodiment will be omitted or simplified. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a management system 100 according to this modification.

[0074] As shown in Fig. 6, the management system 100 according to this modification includes a distribution board 230 instead of the distribution board 30 shown in the embodiment. Note that the configuration other than the distribution board 230 may be the same as in the embodiment, and in Fig. 6, the configuration other than the distribution board 230 is illustrated with the same reference numerals as in the embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified. In this modification, the facility 110 is also provided with a power storage facility that stores the power generated by the solar power generation facility 10, but this is not shown in the drawing.

[0075] The distribution board 230 includes a total power consumption acquisition unit 230a and a purchased power acquisition unit 230b.

[0076] The total power consumption acquiring unit 230a acquires the total amount of power consumed within the facility 110. The total power consumption acquiring unit 230a includes, for example, a power measurement element, and acquires the total amount of power consumed within the facility 110 by measuring the amount of power actually supplied to the load 50 with the power measurement element.

[0077] The purchased power acquisition unit 230b acquires the amount of purchased power supplied (purchased) from the grid power supply 120. The purchased power acquisition unit 230b includes, for example, a power measurement element, and acquires the amount of purchased power by the power measurement element measuring the amount of purchased power.

[0078] The power measurement elements included in the total power consumption acquisition unit 230a and the purchased power acquisition unit 230b are specifically CTs, but may also be Rogowski circuits or GMR elements. By providing the power measurement elements, the distribution board 230 can measure the total amount of power consumption and the amount of power purchased and sold. The total amount of power consumption and the amount of power purchased and sold may be, for example, 30-minute integrated values ​​or 1-hour integrated values.

[0079] The distribution board 230 also has a wireless communication module for wireless communication, and is capable of wireless communication with the control device 40 via the router 60. In other words, the wireless communication module is a wireless communication circuit. This allows the distribution board 230 to transmit the total amount of power consumption acquired by the total power consumption acquisition unit 230a and the amount of purchased power acquired by the purchased power acquisition unit 230b to the control device 40. The total amount of power consumption and the amount of purchased power are stored in the storage unit 43 provided in the control device 40 as history information of the total amount of power consumption and the amount of purchased power.

[0080] In this modification, the effect monetary amount calculation unit 42 calculates the effect monetary amount using the self-power consumption amount calculated based on the total power consumption amount and the amount of purchased power. Specifically, the effect monetary amount calculation unit 42 calculates the self-power consumption amount of the facility 110 for a certain unit time based on the total power consumption amount for that unit time and the amount of purchased power for that unit time, and calculates the effect monetary amount for that unit time based on the calculated self-power consumption amount and the power purchase price and power sale price for that unit time. The self-power consumption amount for that unit time is calculated, for example, by subtracting the amount of purchased power for that unit time from the self-power consumption amount for that unit time. For example, the effect monetary amount calculation unit 42 may calculate the effect monetary amount for the calculation period using the following formula 2.

[0081] Benefit amount = ∫((total power consumption - purchased power amount) × (power purchase price - power selling price)) dt Equation 2

[0082] In the above embodiment, the amount of personal power consumption is calculated based on a power generation standard (based on the time of power generation), but in this modified example, the amount of personal power consumption is calculated based on a usage standard (based on the time of actual consumption). That is, in the above embodiment, the amount of personal power consumption is calculated assuming that power is consumed when it is generated, but in this modified example, the amount of personal power consumption is calculated assuming that the generated power is consumed when the user actually uses the generated power. In this modified example, the power generated by the solar power generation facility 10 and stored in the power storage facility is not measured as the amount of personal power consumption.

[0083] This allows the control device 40 to calculate the amount of privately-owned power consumption based on the time when the generated power is actually consumed, that is, the amount of privately-owned power consumption according to the timing of the user's use of power.

[0084] In this modification, the report may include a line graph showing time-series data of the user's power consumption and the monetary effect. For example, the line graph may have, but is not limited to, a vertical axis showing the amount of power consumed and the monetary effect, and a horizontal axis showing the time. The line graph may include at least the time-series data of the monetary effect.

[0085] (Effects, etc.) The invention derived from the disclosure of this specification and the effects and the like obtained by said invention will be described below.

[0086] (Invention 1) The management system 100 is a management system for managing consumers who have installed solar power generation facilities, and includes a unit price acquisition unit that acquires the electricity purchase price and the electricity sale price, and a calculation unit that calculates the monetary effect of self-consumption of at least a portion of the generated electricity based on the amount of electricity consumed by the consumer out of the amount of electricity generated by the solar power generation facility, the electricity purchase price, and the electricity sale price.

[0087] As a result, the monetary effect is calculated using the electricity selling price in addition to the amount of self-consumption and the electricity purchase price, so it is possible to calculate the monetary effect of self-consumption taking into account the electricity selling price if the electricity is sold. Therefore, the management system 100 makes it possible to calculate the monetary effect of self-consumption of the electricity generated by the solar power generation facility 10.

[0088] In addition, by presenting the monetary benefits of self-consumption, users can be encouraged to self-consume the generated electricity. From a regional perspective, this reduces the loss of electricity generated by each dwelling's solar power generation equipment when it is transmitted via external power lines, and also reduces the likelihood of problems occurring due to phase shifts in the transmitted power when the generated electricity is transmitted via external power lines.

[0089] (Invention 2) The calculation unit is the management system 100 of invention 1, which calculates the monetary benefit amount by multiplying the amount of privately consumed electricity by the difference in unit price obtained by subtracting the unit price of selling electricity from the unit price of purchasing electricity.

[0090] This makes it possible to calculate the difference between the amount of money for selling the electricity and the amount of money for the benefit of self-consumption as the amount of money for the benefit in the facility 110. In other words, it is possible to calculate a more accurate amount of money for the benefit.

[0091] (Invention 3) The management system 100 of the first or second aspect of the present invention further comprises a communication unit that transmits the benefit amount to an external device.

[0092] This makes it possible to check the amount of benefit using an external device, thereby improving the convenience of the management system 100.

[0093] (Invention 4) The management system 100 of any one of Inventions 1 to 3 further comprises a storage unit that stores the electricity purchase unit price and the electricity sale unit price acquired by the unit price acquisition unit.

[0094] As a result, not only the electricity purchase price but also the electricity selling price is stored in the memory unit 43, and by calculating the effective amount using the electricity selling price, it is possible to easily calculate a more accurate effective amount.

[0095] (Invention 5) The management system 100 of any of Inventions 1 to 4 further includes a power sales acquisition unit that acquires the amount of power sales supplied to the grid power source, and a power generation acquisition unit that acquires the amount of power generation, and the amount of self-power consumption is calculated based on the amount of power sales and the amount of power generation.

[0096] This allows the amount of power sold and the amount of power generated to be acquired, and the amount of power consumed by the home can be calculated automatically. For example, the user does not need to input the amount of power consumed by the home, which improves the convenience of the management system 100.

[0097] (Invention 6) The management system 100 of any one of Inventions 1 to 5 further comprises a presentation unit that presents the benefit amount.

[0098] This allows the user to be presented with the cost of the benefit.

[0099] (Invention 7) The presentation unit is the management system 100 of invention 6, which presents the effect amount in different ways depending on whether the effect amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount or whether the effect amount is less than the predetermined amount.

[0100] This allows for different ways of presenting information when a predetermined amount, such as a target amount, is reached, thereby further encouraging the user to consume at home.

[0101] (Invention 8) The calculation unit is the management system 100 of any one of inventions 1 to 7, which periodically calculates the effective monetary amount.

[0102] This allows the user to be periodically presented with the monetary benefit, further encouraging the user to consume the generated power at home.

[0103] (Invention 9) In the management system 100 of any one of Inventions 1 to 8, the unit price acquisition unit acquires the electricity purchase unit price from an external server.

[0104] This allows the electricity purchase price to be obtained from an external server, so users (e.g., residents) no longer need to worry about fluctuations in the electricity purchase price (e.g., they no longer need to input the electricity purchase price), improving the convenience of the management system 100.

[0105] (Invention 10) The management system 100 of any of Inventions 1 to 9 further comprises a total power consumption acquisition unit that acquires the total amount of power consumed by the consumer, and a purchased power acquisition unit that acquires the amount of purchased power supplied from a grid power source, and the amount of self-power consumption is calculated based on the total amount of power consumption and the amount of purchased power.

[0106] As a result, the amount of privately-owned power consumption is calculated based on the total amount of power consumption and the amount of purchased power, and the management system 100 including the power storage facility can calculate the monetary effect of privately-owned power consumption based on the time of consumption. Therefore, it is possible to calculate the monetary effect based on the history of power usage by the user (based on the user's image of power usage).

[0107] (Invention 11) A management method for managing a consumer that has installed solar power generation equipment, which acquires the electricity purchase price and the electricity sale price, and calculates the monetary benefit of self-consuming at least a portion of the generated electricity based on the amount of electricity consumed by the consumer out of the amount of electricity generated by the solar power generation equipment, the electricity purchase price, and the electricity sale price.

[0108] This provides the same effects as the management system 100 described above.

[0109] (Invention 12) A program for causing a computer to execute the management method of Invention 11.

[0110] This provides the same effects as the management system 100 described above.

[0111] These general or specific aspects may be realized as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or as any combination of the system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or recording medium. The program may be pre-stored in the recording medium, or may be supplied to the recording medium via a wide area communication network including the Internet.

[0112] (Other embodiments) The management system 100 according to one or more aspects has been described above based on the embodiments and modifications (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments"), but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. As long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, various modifications that a person skilled in the art can make to the present embodiment, or modifications constructed by combining components of different embodiments, may also be included in the present invention.

[0113] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example has been described in which the effect monetary calculation unit 42 calculates the amount of self-power consumption based on the amount of power generated and the amount of power sold, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the control device 40 may acquire the amount of self-power consumption from the user interface or the mobile terminal 70. In other words, the effect monetary calculation unit 42 does not have to calculate the amount of self-power consumption.

[0114] Furthermore, for example, in the above embodiments, an example was described in which the effective amount is calculated at the report creation date and time (S31 and S32 shown in Figure 3), but this is not limited to this, and the effective amount may be calculated for any period entered by the user into the mobile terminal 70.

[0115] Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, if the control device 40 is equipped with a display unit and presents the effect amount on the display unit, step S33 shown in Fig. 3 does not need to be executed. In this case, the control device 40 may display the effect amount when it receives a report display operation via the user interface.

[0116] Furthermore, for example, in Figure 3 shown in the above embodiment, an example is described in which the effective amount is displayed when an operation to display the effective amount is received from the user, but this is not limited to this, and the effective amount may be displayed regardless of whether or not the user performs an operation.

[0117] Furthermore, for example, the communication unit 41 according to the above-described embodiments may acquire the amount of generated power and the amount of sold power from a power meter or the like via communication. That is, the communication unit 41 may function as a generated power acquisition unit and a sold power acquisition unit. Furthermore, for example, the communication unit 41 may acquire the total amount of consumed power and the amount of purchased power from a power meter or the like via communication. That is, the communication unit 41 may function as a total consumed power acquisition unit and a purchased power acquisition unit.

[0118] In the above embodiments, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0119] The order in which the steps in the flowchart are executed is merely an example for specifically explaining the present invention, and an order other than the above may be used. Also, some of the steps may be executed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps, or some of the steps may not be executed.

[0120] The division of functional blocks in the block diagram is an example, and multiple functional blocks may be realized as a single functional block, one functional block may be divided into multiple blocks, or some functions may be moved to another functional block.Furthermore, the functions of multiple functional blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or in time-sharing by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0121] Furthermore, the control device according to the above-described embodiments may be realized as a single device or may be realized by multiple devices. When the control device is realized by multiple devices, the components of the control device may be distributed among the multiple devices in any manner. When the control device is realized by multiple devices, the communication method between the multiple devices is not particularly limited, and may be wireless communication or wired communication. Furthermore, wireless communication and wired communication may be combined between the devices.

[0122] Furthermore, each component described in the above embodiments may be implemented as software or, typically, as an LSI, an integrated circuit. These components may be integrated individually on a single chip, or some or all of them may be integrated on a single chip. While LSI is used here, it may also be referred to as an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI depending on the level of integration. Furthermore, the integration method is not limited to LSI; it may be implemented using a dedicated circuit (a general-purpose circuit that executes a dedicated program) or a general-purpose processor. It is also possible to use a field programmable gate array (FPGA), which can be programmed after LSI fabrication, or a reconfigurable processor, which allows the connection or settings of circuit cells within an LSI to be reconfigured. Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology or a derivative technology, that technology may naturally be used to integrate the components.

[0123] A system LSI is an ultra-multifunctional LSI manufactured by integrating multiple processing units on a single chip, and is specifically a computer system consisting of a microprocessor, ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. Computer programs are stored in the ROM. The system LSI achieves its functions when the microprocessor operates in accordance with the computer program.

[0124] Another aspect of the present invention may be a computer program that causes a computer to execute each of the characteristic steps included in the management method shown in either FIG. 2 or FIG.

[0125] Furthermore, for example, the program may be a program to be executed by a computer. Another aspect of the present invention may be a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded. For example, such a program may be recorded on a recording medium and distributed or circulated. For example, the distributed program may be installed in a device having another processor, and the program may be executed by the processor, thereby causing the device to perform each of the above processes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 10. Solar power generation facilities 30a Power generation acquisition section 30b Electricity sales acquisition unit 41 Communications Department (Unit Price Acquisition Department) 42 Effectiveness Amount Calculation Department (Calculation Department) 43 Storage section 70 Mobile terminal (presentation unit) 71 Benefit amount 100 Management Systems 110 facilities 120 Grid power supply 230a Total power consumption acquisition part 230b Power Purchase and Acquisition Department

Claims

1. A management system for managing consumers in which photovoltaic power generation facilities are installed, a unit price acquisition unit that acquires the electricity purchase price and the electricity selling price; a calculation unit that calculates a monetary amount of benefit resulting from the self-consumption of at least a portion of the generated power amount based on the self-consumption amount consumed by the consumer out of the generated power amount of the solar power generation facility, the power purchase price, and the power sale price. Management system.

2. The calculation unit calculates the benefit amount by multiplying the amount of self-power consumption by a difference in unit price obtained by subtracting the unit price of selling electricity from the unit price of purchasing electricity. The management system according to claim 1 .

3. Further, a communication unit for transmitting the benefit amount to an external device is provided. The management system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. Further, a storage unit that stores the electricity purchase price and the electricity selling price acquired by the unit price acquisition unit is provided. The management system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. moreover, a power sale acquisition unit that acquires the amount of power sale supplied to the grid power supply; a generated power acquisition unit that acquires the generated power amount, The amount of self-power consumption is calculated based on the amount of power sold and the amount of power generated. The management system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. Further, a presentation unit that presents the amount of the effect is provided. The management system according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The presentation unit presents the effect amount in different ways depending on whether the effect amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount or whether the effect amount is less than a predetermined amount. The management system according to claim 6.

8. The calculation unit periodically calculates the benefit amount. The management system according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The unit price acquisition unit acquires the power purchase price from an external server. The management system according to claim 1 or 2.

10. Furthermore, a total power consumption acquisition unit that acquires the total amount of power consumed by the consumer; a purchased power acquisition unit that acquires the amount of purchased power supplied from the grid power supply, The amount of self-power consumption is calculated based on the total amount of power consumption and the amount of purchased power. The management system according to claim 1 or 2.

11. A management method for managing a consumer in which a solar power generation facility is installed, comprising: Obtain the electricity purchase price and electricity selling price, Calculating the monetary value of the benefit resulting from the self-consumption of at least a portion of the generated power amount based on the amount of self-consumption consumed by the consumer out of the amount of power generated by the solar power generation facility, the power purchase price, and the power sale price. Management method.

12. A program for causing a computer to execute the management method according to claim 11.

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